APRIL 10, 2009 -- They made it into the playoffs. Barely.

After their 104-point season and Eastern Conference title in 2007-8, great things were supposed to be in store for hockey’s most hallowed franchise. Les Canadiens de Montreal turned 100 this season and hopes were high. Higher than the banners representing the 24 Stanley Cups hoisted by the Bleu, Blanc en Rouge. Higher than Don Cherry’s tailor when he fashions some of those outrageous suits. You get the picture.

The season started well, with only one loss in their first 11 games. A lot of hockey pundits, myself included, started saying, “See. I told you they would be great this year.” Then reality set in and they lost three of their next four. That turned into four out of six and the next thing you know the Canadiens were an average team. I don’t know about the rest of the so-called experts, but this particular pundit was feeling like a putz by the All Star Break.

Actually it was Super Bowl Sunday, a 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins, when I hit my low mark with the Canadiens. I went out with some friends for my first Super Bowl in the Great White North, and we got to the sports bar early to watch some of the Montreal game. As we sat down at the table one of my friends asked me if I still thought the Canadiens had a shot at winning the East.

“Yeah, “ I replied. “They’ve still got plenty of time to get it back on track.” Then he laughed and pointed at the big screen in front of me. “Are they going to wear those jerseys when they go to the playoffs?” It was at that moment that I realized just how low the Montreal Canadiens had sunk. If J. Ambrose O’ Brien, the founder of hockey’s greatest franchise could see these jerseys I guarantee he would have climbed out of the grave and personally ripped them off each and every player!

The red, white and blue thin striped monstrosities are right at the top of the list of the worst jerseys ever in pro sports and I’m remembering the old school Washington Bullets uni’s, the yellow and brown San Diego Padres shirts, the Vancouver Canucks of the early ‘80’s and those hideous Islanders sweaters with the “Gorton’s Fisherman on them!” But I digress…

A lot of Montreal’s problems stem from the fact that you never know which team will show up on any given night. Will it be the team that has gone on four and five game win streaks or will it be the team that has two four game losing streaks along with a three-game one and, dare I say it, the team that failed to win against The Isles, Lightning, Senators, Maple Leafs and Thrashers a combined 11 times. Add to that the 6 times they took those teams to shootouts and OT’s and you can see how, when they were bad, they were bad.

On the other hand, this team has also beaten San Jose, Detroit, Boston, Philly, Vancouver and the Capitals. So, when they play their game, they can hang with the big boys. Carey Price is as talented a young net-minder as you will find in the NHL—when he wants to be. This kid was being touted as the potential next Ken Dryden and Patrick Roy a year ago, now there are nights when he can’t even get off the bench because he’s really no better than Jaroslav Halak!

So what’s the deal with this team? GM Bob Gainey obviously felt that the problem was coach Guy Carbonneau. Gainey canned Carbonneau, who had a record of 35-24-7, and stepped behind the bench himself. How’s the GM-turned-coach doing? Well, Gainey has a total of seven W’s in the team’s last 17 games, so I’m going to go out on a limb and say, “not so well.” In fact, the way they made it into the playoffs was that they needed one point, so they forced OT in their second-to-last game of the season.

I’m predicting a quick exit from the 2009 playoffs. In fact, I’ll give you my pick before the regular season is even over: The Montreal Canadiens will either be swept or lose in five games and it doesn’t matter if the draw the Boston Bruins or the Washington Capitals in the first round. Spring is going to come early in Quebec this year.

When that happens (note that I didn’t say “if”, I said “when”) I will be the first guy on the “Fire Bob Gainey” bus. In fact, I may even drive the bus myself.

A large part of the team’s problems in this campaign stem from the team’s year-long centennial celebration. What do I mean? Well, I think that the team couldn’t go anywhere without hearing or reading about it. I moved to the Toronto suburbs in February and I’m already getting sick of hearing about it, so I can only imagine what things are like in Canadiens-crazy Quebec.

I’m not saying that the celebration is the sole cause, but when all you hear is what a great franchise you are and how things have generally been a bed of roses at the Montreal Forum and now at the Bell Centre, I think that it may be easy to rest on your laurels and say, “Yeah. We are pretty good.” Factor into that equation the great 2007-8 season along with the lofty expectations in 2008-9 and I see how complacency and malaise could be the team’s response.

I don’t have the answer for what the Canadiens need to do to get back on track, but I do know one thing. Bob Gainey needs to go. “Au revoir Miseur Gainey. Mis laisser le succès de porte vous en route hors!” (Loosely translated, “See ya Gainey. Don’t let the door hit ya on the way out!)

You can catch J.R. mornings from 6-10 AM on CFAO 94.7 FM in suburban Toronto, where he is the color analyst for the Alliston Hornets hockey team and also co-hosts “Sportsweek”.

EMAIL JASON: jr@wesandjr.com

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